Meredosia eyes ways to pay for water meter upgrades

Village officials are considering a recommended flat-fee increase to Meredosia water customers.

Money is needed to help finance new water meters throughout the village.

During the village board’s meeting last week, representatives of the water committee recommended dropping a 2 percent yearly increase to 1.75 percent and adding a $1 fee.

Committee member Kenny Scott said that would increase the minimum charge from $9.93 to $10.93. He said this would be a better solution than raising the per-gallon rate because people paying the most for water — such as businesses and large families — would be hit the hardest. The increase in the per-gallon rate would target a specific group of people, Scott said.

There are about 435 water accounts in the village.

The board is considering the committee’s recommendation and tabled any decision until a later date.

The police committee brought to the board’s attention that the village should hire a part-time police officer. The village would not have to pay such expenses as benefits so long as all the part-time officers stay under 40 hours of work a month.

The computer crashed in one of the squad cars. A new computer would cost about $3,000. Scott said he could fix the computer’s hard drive.

A graphic of a flag was also put on one of the police cars at a cost of $430.

Police Chief Curtis Williams contacted schools Superintendent Thad Walker about paying a third of the cost of a new radar sign for in front of the school building. Walker is supposed to consult with the school board about the matter. The village will pay a third of the estimated $3,900 cost and Halverson Construction Co. will also pay a third.

Williams is planning on contacting Jim Burke of Hutchinson Engineering to evaluate the stability of some buildings. If the buildings are found unstable, the owners would have to bring their properties into compliance by tearing the structures down or repairing them.